NBA Bargains 1/22/17

NBA Bargains 1/22/17

Happy Sunday! Let us look at all four games on top for today and find the bargain plays that make our lineups hit the top of the standings. I am going to keep these under the $5,000(ish) line for FanDuel (FD). Let’s go!

NOTE: Stay tuned to FanVice for updates and analysis of the breaking news in regards to the values that open up throughout the evening leading up to lineup lock.

Point Guards

Jameer Nelson – DEN at MIN – $3,800 (FD) – The last time Nelson was the chalky chalk he ended up not starting and brining in less than five FD points. Today, however, both Gary Harris AND Emmanuel Mudiay are out, so Nelson has to start and play the point tonight in Minnesota. Super chalk tonight.

Jordan Clarkson – LAL at DAL – $4,400 (FD) – Not a huge fan of this spot for Clarkson, but he will see more minutes should Nick Young miss the game as expected, as well as Luol Deng. This will force more three guard lineups and likely low 30s minutes for Clarkson, who routinely has low 20% raw usage, even with Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell.

Shooting Guards

Seth Curry – DAL vs. LAL – $4,000 – No Andrew Bogut has forced the Mavericks smaller throughout their games and now no J.J. Barea means Curry should be locked in for 28-30 minutes. Now toss in the Lakers, who will be going more guards more and Curry’s minutes and 20% raw usage will find himself an excellent value here at 4K.

Louis Williams – LAL at DAL – $5,100 – Have to cheat and get LouLou in here as there is not much more to choose from below 5K and Williams has been on a heater recently since Luke Walton loosened the rotation again. It is a tough matchup, but Lou’s last three games: 34.60, 41.30, 37.30. Feed him and fan him.

Small Forwards

T.J. Warren – PHX at TOR – $4,600 – Always risky as long as P.J. Tucker is around in Phoenix, because Earl Watson does love to randomly mix/match rotations and play his veterans, but Warren did get 40 minutes against the Cavaliers the last time out and if he does get 30 minutes, Warren has the low 20% usage to crank out 25-28 FD points, a bargain today.

Brandon Ingram – LAL at DAL – $4,400 – Highly volatile, but take a chance on the upside and Ingram’s all-around game since there is little left in the small forward value bin to get worked up about. The Lakers may be without Luol Deng and Nick Young, which opens up more minutes for Ingram, who has already played 28, 37 and 33 minutes the last three games, scoring 16.3, 33 and 29.4 FD points in those contests.

Power Forwards

Jared Sullinger – TOR vs. PHX – $3,800 – You all do not have to follow me down here, but this is going to happen eventually. Last season, Sullinger averaged 19.3 FanDuel points per 30 minutes on peripherals alone, making him 12th in the league, more than John Wall, Paul Millsap, DeMarcus Cousins. If Patrick Patterson and Lucas Nogueira misses again, Sullinger has to play 18-20 minutes, which should be value at this price. Super, duper risky play here, as he has yet to show last season’s rates as a Raptor, but the skill set is there.

Marquese Chriss – PHX at TOR – $3,600 – Not much left at power forward, either, but Chriss has upside due to his matchup against the weakened frontcourt of the Raptors, his potential minutes, especially if things get out of hand as the Raptors are double digit favorites, and Chriss’ reasonably busy usage rates, especially on the second unit.

Centers:

Zaza Pachulia – GSW at ORL – $4,200 (FD) – Zaza has settled in nicely to a 20-24 minutes per night rhythm, scoring a fantasy point per minute and getting some extended run against bigger centers that have higher usage. This might be one of those nights if Vucevic starts, as expected, at center tonight.

Good luck, players! – JW

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jaywalker72) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.

About The Author

Jason Walker has been passionately playing fantasy sports since Dickie Thon was relevant and has written for DraftKings Playbook and formerly Daily Fantasy Boot Camp. He wants to bring that passion in research, statistics and all information to FanVice readers and expand this great community.